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You Creating You: Checked in with yourself lately?
Sent Thursday, December 18, 2008
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You Creating You
Helping you get your creative thing, whatever it may be, out into the world.
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A note from Shannon:
Over the past year I've been exploring how I can embrace a niche in my coaching practice. While it may seem like a good thing to have a market as big as, "I can help anyone who wants to make positive changes in their life," it really isn't unless you have the marketing budget of Coca Cola. I don't, so niche hunting I went.
Early in 2008 I honed in on working with people who felt pulled between their business and family lives. There is something really valuable to this, and I think there's a real need for it, but it wasn't quite right for me.
Recently I put it together. What really gets me excited is helping people do something they love, whether they need to discover it, nurture it, or develop it into a business. It all really fires me up. It uses so much more of my experience and skills. And how great to have more people spending time feeling good about doing something they love. Good for all of us.
This is my first public announcement of this shift and it feels a teeny bit scary and a whole lot right. Probably should have my website rewritten already, but I don't and I want to start sharing this with people now!
So, if you happen to stop by my website remember there are going to be some changes to the content in the next couple of weeks. My blog on the other hand, will remain the same quirky little place to share. And, if you know someone who'd love to discover, nurture or develop their special thing, please forward this newsletter.
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Checking In With Yourself I have a client who wants to feel more comfortable getting her creative thing out in the world. (One of the inspirations for my new focus.) We had a good session on Wednesday. At the very end, I took her through a little process to check in with herself, see what her heart wants. We went through it, and at the end she said, "that's the kind of thing I'd love to see on your website! You talk about it, but I didn't really get it, until now."
SHE ASKED, YOU RECEIVE!
When you find yourself feeling a little unsure or icky, or like you want to do something but aren't sure what, rather than pushing through, pause. Take a moment (right now works too) and put your hand on your heart. Inhale, almost as if you could breathe into your hand. Exhale. And again. One more time.
Now, if you haven't already, turn your attention to your heart. Ask yourself, "How can I best care for myself in this moment?" Then simply observe. Notice the very first thing that pops up.
For my client, it was "red."
It could be a pictures, a word or phrase, a sensation, a color. It may be very clear, it may not make sense to you right away. If it isn't clear, sit with it for a few moments. And notice what you notice.
When she sat with "red" for a moment, she pictured riding in her red truck, singing and enjoying herself.
Then give it to yourself the best you're able in that moment, even if you're simply imagining it.
She thought about her icky situation, but with that feeling, and it didn't feel so icky. In fact, it seemed just fine.
RINSE. REPEAT.
This is great to do in the moment, as you're going through your day. If you aren't sure how that will work for you, you can practice. Seriously. Here's how:
Think about a situation recently when you felt lost or unsure. And go through the process.
Or for even more fun, think about a situation that might come up in the future, where you could get an unsure or icky feeling. And go through the process.
There are only a couple of rules to follow as you're playing with this:
1. Be nice to yourself.
2. Observations only (no judgments). If you aren't sure about this one, refer to #1.
There is no right or wrong, no good or bad. Simply you, learning to care for yourself in each moment.
There's actually some science behind this process. If you're interested in knowing more, check out The HeartMath Solution. (This links to the book on Powells, the best independent bookstore in the world, rather than the Heartmath website because it is more informative!)
I'd love it if you'd try this and come by the blog and let me know how it went, or share your favorite way to check in with yourself. |
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 About Shannon I know first-hand how important it is to spend some regular time doing that thing you love. And just how much fun it can be when you turn it into a business!
I've been coaching professionally since 2003 and have helped 100's of people figure out how to enjoy their lives more too. If you're interested in knowing more about my background, read my longer bio check out my training and credentials or visit my blog. Thanks for reading! If you know someone who could benefit from this, feel free to forward it to them! Not a subscriber yet? Like what you've read? Sign up to get future issues delivered straight to you. Until next time! |
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(c) Shannon Wilkinson 2008
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